


:Reform|Redemption:

by DrEloquentDog



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:00:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22256830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrEloquentDog/pseuds/DrEloquentDog
Summary: Izaya's come back. This time, wheelchair bound and caring for a child. How will Shizuo react when his long time rival comes back more humane than he remembers? What is Izaya doing back in Ikebukuro? And what has he been up to during the four year gap that he hasn't been around?
Relationships: Heiwajima Shizuo & Orihara Izaya, Heiwajima Shizuo/Orihara Izaya, Kishitani Shinra & Celty Sturluson, Kishitani Shinra/Celty Sturluson
Kudos: 38





	1. Izaya Meets a Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah please stop reading this i am ashamed ;-;
> 
> I made this before learning how to characterize properly and all that shit (and I used to think I was good at writing too, the horror) so I've come back and it's not terribly OOC it's just unoriginal  
> I hate it  
> So I'm just gonna stop it here.

**Izaya**

Izaya didn't know why his body was headed there, to Ikebukuro. Maybe it was just a whim to go to his home of 25 years, he'll never know. But what he does know is that this place isn't safe. Sure there haven't been any outrageous stories of the Monster of Ikebukuro and yeah, he hasn't been catching up on Ikebukuro news, but Izaya simply knows that Shizuo is still there and the gangs that he with-held the truth to were there too.. Nevertheless, Izaya was determined to make it through his trip with the toddler in his arms and himself in the arms of a wheelchair. 

Izaya turns the corner, and hears a familiar voice.  _ Oh crap,  _ He was sure of who this voice belonged to and wasn’t very keen to meet this figure so soon in his visit. Izaya moves back out of the way and into a decently narrow alley.  _ So ‘Bukuro hasn’t changed its layout…  _ He was about to have a successful escape but was startled by a sudden sobbing.  _ Crap!  _ It was Shizuka, the daughter he adopted after her parents were killed by a debt collector.  _ Hah, debt collector. What a coincidence, huh, Shizu-chan?  _ He didn’t know who he was addressing, his daughter, or the man who put him into a wheelchair. What he knew was that he had to leave immediately. Once Shizuka starts crying, she keeps on for hours on end. He had done everything to hide his reappearance. He dropped the black jacket that day, and put on his most genuine smile. But he knew that this person would definitely find out who he was. But it was too late, the person had just turned the corner to see a man in a white hoodie, in a wheelchair, with a baby, and halfway in an alleyway. It was just one look to the white hoodie’s face to-

“Izaya?!”

_ Fuck, I knew this would happen. _

He rolled out the alley and took his hood off.

“Hello.. Shinra..”

“Woah, Izaya! You’re actually back?


	2. Shinra Greets Izaya with Prodding Questions

**Shinra**

“Oh wow! You actually came back? I thought you said you never wanted to see Shizuo again?” Shinra was amazed. He never thought Izaya the coward would actually come back to Ikebukuro. In all his amazement, he was completely oblivious to the sobbing child in Izaya’s arms that he most ignorantly outspoken.

“Yeah, I’m back. And Shizu-chan? I don’t want to see him, but I’ve come back to, I guess, apologize? I don’t know, I came on a whim.” 

Izaya held Shizuka closer. That was when Shinra heard and saw the crying child in his arms.

“Woah! Who’s that? Did you kidnap her? What are you doing with her? What’s her name? Why is she with you? How old is she? Did you take her with you? Is she yours? Wait, is it a she or a he? Is this the Shizuka you’ve been talking about?”

“Shinra, calm down. Yes, it’s Shizuka, she’s a she. I adopted her and she’s, like, three.”

_ Wow.  _ But Shinra couldn’t stay quiet long. He started yammering off again while pushing Izaya in the direction of his house while Izaya tried to calm Shizuka down.

“Y’know, Shizuka sounds kind of like Shizuo, is there a reason for that? Or is a reference to Shizu-chan, hmm?”

Izaya stayed quiet. But he also stopped trying to calm Shizuka down. Now it was just Shinra talking nonstop to a distraught toddler and a man in a wheelchair staring off into space. The sight was enough to be puzzling to the normal citizen passing by even without the realization that it was the infamous info broker, Izaya Orihara, who was in the wheelchair with the poor child. Such a sight to see on the streets. But how will Shinra’s special dullahan react when she finds the man who hid away her head for years in Shinjuku come visit to supposedly apologize?

Meanwhile in Russia Sushi, Semyon, better known as Simon, was watching the strange sight. He had never seen the wheelchair-bound man’s name but he had a terrible feeling that Ikebukuro’s peace would not last any longer. And that’s why he decided he’d have a small chat with Shinra to ensure that the man in the wheelchair would not turn ‘Bukuro into full out chaos like a certain absent info broker once did.


	3. Simon Acts Weird and Izaya Cares

**Izaya**

_ Why did I name her Shizuka? Out of all the names I could ever choose, Shizuka? Was it a subconscious choice or a conscious one?  _ Izaya was deep in thought when he suddenly felt an apprehending stare directed toward him.  _ Simon?  _ He looked back. It was indeed Simon, staring at him through the edge of his sight while still keeping a kindhearted smile as he handed out fliers.  _ Huh, Simon was never this aggressive…  _ And that was true. Simon never had so much contempt directed at a strange, and definitely not at a stranger with a toddler in a wheelchair.  _ Ah. That’s right…  _ Izaya failed to attend to the toddler in his arms. Maybe that was why Simon was being so.. not like Simon. So Izaya tried to comfort the small child.

“Come on Izu,” he pleaded, as if his pride wasn't a problem, “You have to calm down, love, your uncle is getting weird looks.”

And that he was. People passing by looked at Shinra in disgust, for he was just ignoring the crying child under his care. They looked at him with an expression akin to annoyance, because he just kept on with his chatter. Whilst blatantly avoiding any attempt to care for the toddler. 

But Shinra was simply amused. The fact that Izaya called the child Izu, avoiding any relation to the ‘Sh’ sound that would title her Shizu. Or the fact that Izaya, with his superiority complex, would’ve never bat an eye to what others would think about his friends. Yet here he was, carmine eyes full of concern. And that concern would be slightly concerning to anyone who just knew Izaya as the info broker of Shinjuku, but for Shinra? Shinra, the man who asked for Izaya to be his best man at an arriving wedding date? This was all the more comforting. He knew that Izaya had changed through the years, but not to this extent. And Shinra was overjoyed to see that Izaya now had hints of compassion in his character.

So that was that. During all these connections, Simon was more relaxed, for even without context of what the man in the wheelchair was saying. He found caring and softness in the man’s, slightly brown and slightly red eyes. So he decided to question the underworld doctor until the predicted chaos started.

Although he was more than oblivious to the man’s raven hair. Or the remnants of an everlasting smirk on his mouth. Yes, if the black Russian saw those, he’d most certainly approach Shinra as soon as possible and away from the range of a certain seemingly handicapped man who bore a disturbing resemblance to Izaya Orihara. 


	4. Celty Sees a New Izaya

**Celty**

The doorbell rang loud and clear. _That must be Shinra._ Celty had been engaged to Shinra for a few months already, and ever since Shinra cut off her head shorty after gaining it, she always had a premonition of some sort when Shinra was close. Or getting closer, that is. Thus making it easier to dodge his shows of affection during the times they were not engaged. Celty had never known why. Maybe being exposed to Saika multiple times had a small influence on her awareness of other Saika children, since, of course, Shinra had to be possessed to detach the connection of her head to her body. But even as Celty was expecting Shinra at the door, she was startled to see a toddler in a wheelchair. _Such a young age too._ Before noticing that the child was bawling on the lap of a concerned ravenette in a white hoodie. 

She took a look closer.

Then jumped back, more surprised than anyone ever thought the black rider could be. As she slowly composed herself by taking deep breaths, through an aforementioned head in a dumpster, she started typing.

「What are _you_ doing here?」

She didn’t feel as vengeful as she thought she would. But her message was malicious, oozing a black aura much like the one from her head.

“Why hello to you too, Celty, pleasure to see you again. Where’s the head?” Izaya said in a certain tone that Celty couldn’t figure out if polite or mocking.

Yet Celty felt as if she should reply back politely. As if Izaya didn’t need anymore crap. And as she took another good look at him. She realized that he didn’t. Jetlag was one thing, but not being able to rest because of some disturbance on the plane? Yes, Izaya had dark bags under his eyes, adding to the effect his tousled black hair gave off. His deep carmine eyes seemed to hold emotion, differing from the last time she saw him.

「The head is lost, and welcome to my house」

“So not fair, Celty, I live with you!” Shinra whined

「I pay the bills, Shinra. You usually plan our trips and whatnot」

And that statement was true. Soon after, Shinra started his regular antics, only a bit more contact because Celty started being more lenient to his remarks. The three walked inside and even Shinra was getting tired. Well, most likely because of the timing. Izaya was also growing restless, probably because of a large gap in his mental clock. And also from the presence of a certain toddler who only fell asleep when he was up and about. 

“Here, Iku, watch this.”

Izaya put on a cartoon on his phone. Shizuku was mesmerized, as always. She had this odd affiliation and affection for everything moving but staying contained. Izaya had long decided to buy her a pet of some sort. Celty was watching this interaction between the two. _What a nice dynamic.._ And Izaya noticed this. He had never lost his observation skills during his intersession, they were vital survival skills in a city after all. At that moment, Izaya promised to himself that he would for certain ask Celty for her opinion.


	5. Izaya Wants Info, Shizuo Comes Crashing in.

**Izaya**

“Ne, Celty, if I were to give Iku a pet, what should I give her?”

「Ants would be a good choice, I feel like Shizuku would like them」

“Huh, that makes sense… but wouldn’t that make her turn out like me in my youth?”

「I wouldn’t think so. As long as your habits don’t come back, it would make good practice for her to stay alert in the streets」

“Okay, thanks for your opinion, don’t tell Iku though, it’s a surprise!”

 _Yes, ants would make a good choice. She likes contained things that aren’t too restricted. Dogs are a no go.._ Izaya shudders. He hates dogs simply because. It was one of the things that he could never get used to. Especially their barks, oh those barks. Loud and persistent, kind of like a certain protozoan. He also had this weird affiliation to cats, but those weren’t contained enough. Izaya had already thought long and hard about these. Reptiles were too high maintenance; gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, rats, mice? Too boring. Cats and dogs were too big, not to mention that the cats would adore him and the dogs would scare him shitless. _Does Iku have a fear of any animals?_ He’d have to ask that later. The tarantulas, spiders, centipedes, cockroaches, and the like were way too.. Not creepy but more cunning. They’d have escaped in days. So yes, Celty’s ant suggestion was a good idea. Now he just needed to confirm that Iku isn’t scared of anything. But first, he had to check something.

“Celty, is the chatroom still up?”

Celty became more suspicious of Izaya. 

「What chatroom? The one with Taro Tanaka? Why are you asking? What’s your name?」

“Nevermind then, Celty, I’ll check on my own time.”

Izaya left to go talk to Shizuku. His carmine eyes shone with delight while he talked to her. He then realized that she was a toddler and couldn’t take care of a living thing is her life depended on it. _How could I forget?_ He had had a brain fart. Thinking Iku could possibling take care of another being was stupid as she was only two and a half years old.

The next thing he needed to figure out was if the chatroom from so long ago was still up. Even if he wasn’t an informant anymore, information was still key to surviving in the world. He pulled up the chatroom not as Kanra, but as Chrome. So Celty would not know what his role was back then.

\--Chatroom--

_Chrome has entered the chatroom_

_Setton has entered the chatroom_

Chrome: Hello!

Setton: Chrome? You haven’t been around for years, what made you come back?

Chrome: Well, if you’d like to know, I was robbed of all my money, became deaf in one ear, and had to build my life back and earn enough money to get back here.

Setton: Sure you did..

Chrome: Aww, Setton doesn’t trust me..

Izaya heard a loud crash and wailing. He had to go get Shizuku, but he could not ignore the many messages come from Celty as Setton. He typed back a quick ‘brb’, some slang he learned in the Americas, and rushed to his daughter, as fast as he could in a wheelchair. 

The two and a half year old was having a breakdown. Izaya assumed the man in black and white was the perp. Yet there was something very familiar about his blond hair, the way he talks, even the cancer stick at his feet. All of this, the door fallen off its hinges, the man with cuts all around, Izaya chose to ignore for that moment in time because this man hurt his daughter.

Apparently that was the worst mistake he had made since his reform.

Yes, when he chose to ignore all of these blatant identifications, like the multitude of men who had approached this one. This man was none other than Shizuo Heiwajima.

It had been four long years since he saw the man. Four long years since this person refused to kill Orihara Izaya. Four long years since the informant thought of him as a monster. Four long years since the man proved Shinjuku’s info-broker wrong. Yet only one year had Izaya forgiven himself for pushing this individual to the brink. For three months, Orihara loathed this man as he was the cause of his new, wheelchair bound lifestyle. The next year and a half Izaya came to realize that he himself was the one responsible for his discomfort. And up until now, he believed that he was the monster. That, he will never change. Izaya Orihara was the true monster, and the flea, and the perpetrator for all of the masses sufferings.

That was back then. Now Izaya was, in all seriousness, reborn. But Shizuo Heiwajima didn’t know that. And he was the man that loathed Orihara Izaya the most. At this fact, Izaya for sure knew that the debt collector in front of him would not hold mercy.

Yet the fact lingered. _Shizu-chan has always defied my expectations. What would stop him from doing exactly that in this moment?_ Yes, that was the truth. Izaya was interested in him because of his strength. Yet he had hated him, Shizuo never did as he expected. 

That’s why Shizuo Heiwajima’s response surprised and reinforced Izaya Orihara’s thoughts.


	6. Shizuo Smells the Flea

**Shizuo**

Shizuo slammed the door of Shinra’s new house open. As the door failed to make contact with a wall, for it was placed in an open room, the lack of a pad made it twist all around and fall off its hinges. The thing was broken and Shizuo knew that.  _ Damn, I have to pay for it now.  _ Yes, through the years, Shizuo had learnt to control his strength and his emotions. But as he walked closer to Shinra’s he smelled a disgusting odor coming from inside. Slightly fruity and familiar, but disgusting nonetheless. 

The certain smell made him enraged for no reason at all, and Shizuo hated it. Despite his inhuman strength, he had always despised using violence as a solution, yet he could never control his temper and always committed to solving his problems with violence. Excessive violence. Especially around the flea, whom he never saw again since he almost killed the man. 

This flea character, as he remembered, was an infuriating being. Always behind the scenes, planning something, hell, even a year after his disappearance Shizuo could not shake the feeling that he would ruin the life Shizuo built.

But Shizuo never saw the flea. Not. Even.  _ Once.  _ Noth ing from the past four years. No rumors, experiences, knowledge heard from Orihara Izaya.

Yet he could smell the informant whenever he came to ‘Bukuro. It has always been a rotten, dying, molding smell around when the flea came. Nobody else but Shizuo smelled it, and this,  _ this smell.  _ Yes, it was so very familiar. Nostalgic even. Nostalgia for a thing on the tip of his tongue. Nostalgia for a thing that was not exactly pleasant.

A smell was the thing that ticked him off the day he came to Shinra. That- the absolutely disgusting odor invaded his nostrils, overthrown his brain. As if the brain was never his to begin with. The fact alone infuriated Shizuo. Shizuo had slammed open the door, not because of the pain he felt, he did not feel pain, or his anger and hatred towards the gang members that jumped him.

That smell. That certain scent. A disgusting decaying smell. It pissed him off to unknown ends. So very disturbingly familiar, so revoltingly strong, yet so fruity. The scent had changed through the years. How many years? He did not know. What the smell belonged to? He did not know. But he knew, for certain, that the smell used to be nothing good for him. He knew that the smell implied encouraged a certain feeling upon him. What the feeling was? He did not fucking know. But it was a passionate feeling. Whether anger, love, sadness, happiness, even childishness, some feeling it was. He did not know. Maybe it was all, or one, or two.

For all he knew was that he knew some things, and was missing some very important details. That cluelessness. The feeling of idiocy. Not knowing anything? That reminded him of the pesky flea who refused to die. Yes. That was what enraged him the most that day. This uncertainty was what caused him to, one, trash a friend’s house, and two, make a baby cry because he trashed a friend’s house.

_ Where the fuck did this baby come from? When the fuck did it come here? And why the fuck is that overpowering smell so much stronger? _

Shizuo did not know the answers to the question, and the answers were right in front of him. But it was apparent that he would not know for as long as a certain man with raven hair and disputed eyes would wish. Yet Celty knew, looking around the corner, that this certain man would tell sooner than expected. Why? It’s very simple actually, that’s because, ironically, and in all irony unintended, the man in control was very much predictable. 


	7. Shizuo Reacts in a 'Normal' Way

**Izaya**

All Shizuo had done was react in an inordinately and unexpectedly positive and accepting tone. For he was the unpredictable fortissimo of Ikebukuro, whom, albeit stayed off the pressing sides of the press for years, was still as Izaya remembered. Monstrous, that. Shizuo was not a monster, but like one. And his brain, truly monstrous. Just as Izaya reminisced about during those sleepless nights under the balcony, staring at the same stars geniuses and dumbasses alike looked at.

Izaya could accept this. He had gone through so many changes throughout his intermission that the single constant thing in his life, was unpredictably constant, as always. That’s why he was surprised and unsurprised when Shizuo acted in an expected fashion. Becoming unexpected so very quickly.

“WHY THE FUCK’RE YOU HERE?!”

_ Such simple days huh. Whenever I’d jump around buildings. Shame I can’t do it now, can I? ‘Stay out of ‘Bukuro!’ Things like that were always being said. A predictable thing. Constant. The way I liked it.  _

Izaya resigned to his fate. Allowing the artificial blond to stare into those deep carmine eyes. Any other would falsely identify them brown or red, but no. These eyes were carmine, a hint of red auburn. Not fully brown, or red. In simpler terms, reddish brown. 

“COULD YOU HAVE JUST STAYED OUT OF ‘BUKURO FOR ANOTHER YEAR? I HAD A DAMN BET YOU PESKY FLEA!”

And that was true. To Izaya’s knowledge, Shinra, Tom Tanaka, Kadota, Erika, Walker, Saburo, and Shizuo had all placed bets on when Izaya Orihara would come back.

Shinra believed it would’ve taken eight years, not four. Tom was all in for three years. Kadota placed a bet for six or seven, which was technically cheating. Erika believed it would take only one year, because ‘Iza-Iza just has to confess!’ Walker, prior to Erika, had agreed with himself to a two year departure. Saburo was the person who’d said four years, he’d be earning a hefty sum. And Shizuo? He said five years.

“TALK YOU DAMN FLEABAG. I KNOW YOU JUST LOVE TO TALK!”

Izaya heard Shizuo’s voice as if on a permanent caps lock. Something he could not stand when he was and informant and typing. It seems Shizuku had also felt this tone completely too uppercase and advanced. So much so that she could only sit and listen until Izaya rolled over and covered her ears. 

“FUCKING FLEA, WHEN DID YOU EVER GET SOMEONE TO LOVE YOU ENOUGH TO HAVE SEC WITH YOU?!”

_ Ok, goddammit that's enough profanity for Iku’s ears.  _

“Could you please quiet down and mind your words? There is a toddler in here, Shizu-chan. Darn it, jus- just pay attention to your effect on the surroundings, won’t you?”

Shizuo got this pissed look on his face. 

“YOU SHOULD’VE TAKEN THAT ADVICE SOME NINE YEARS AGO!”

_ Ouch.  _

“You’re still really loud, Shizu-chan~ Shizuku’s ears might get some damage… Permanent damage. Like this wheelchair you got me to get. I wouldn’t want that for Iku-chan would I? Nope. No parkouring around really strong people for her.”

“WHAT DO YOU FUCKIN’ MEAN?”

It seemed that through all this time, Shizuo had never seen Izaya in the wheelchair. Too blinded by rage to see clearly.

“It means, you daft idiot, that I’m currently wheelchair-bound and I don’t want Iku to be permanently deaf.”

“W-what?”

“Yes, Shizuo. I’ll be stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of my life.”

“Why?”

“Shizu-chan, you haven’t figured it out yet? Remember our last fight? When you almost killed me before the Russian swine interfered? Yes, that is when I got disabled. Although I don’t blame you. The only person to blame is myself, guess what? I’ve been in America for the last four years. Thought I’d never come back. Nice to see that the population still absolutely loves me~”

That was when Celty interfered. 

「What the hell are you doing, Izaya, I thought you changed!? Is it because of Shizuo? Do you NOT want him to forgive you or something!」

_ Oh, Celty, finding things out so quickly.  _

Izaya had to keep the act up. It was slightly exhausting, but even pleasurable acting like a criminal again. He smirked, “Au contraire, Celty, Shizuo is  _ not  _ a part of my sudden change in attitude. I could have just simply been.. Visiting… Yes. As if I could ever think of coming to live in Japan again, with the unmovable legs I’m stuck with, a toddler barely three years old, and gang grudges.”

Shizuo was getting more distraught little by little.  _ Huh, why does Shizu-chan care so much?  _ Izaya was, to say the least, confused. Shizuo was an enemy. No, Izaya was the enemy. Shizuo was the, how could you say it, protagonist? Hero? Whatever the case, he shouldn’t care. Even if that is a common protagonist trait. Empathy. Very important. Something he had lacked in his middle school years to early twenties. Of course, Izaya had outgrown his apathetic stage. Partly thanks to Shizuo, who he would refrain from calling the monster, since Izaya knew all too well. And oh, did he know that he knew all too well.

His first priority was Shizuku. Who knows how long it’d take before she actually started having a meltdown. Certainly not Izaya, he had not checked the time, nor did he have a watch. But another priority was getting Shizuo out. Soon as possible. Because, well, Izaya was all too unprepared. He hoped Celty would understand. And with the action she was taking right now, none, Celty probably did. He just had to keep it up.

“So, Izaya-kun…?” Shizuo questioned threateningly, maybe even menacingly. But it could not work on Izaya. Orihara was in full acknowledgement of this man’s hatred for violence. And he wouldn’t provoke any. Not anytime in the future, at least. He had a toddler to take care of, for God’s sake! He’d spent so long devoid of many emotions, that Shizuku, the bright child herself, showed him. With that, he would never let go of the newfound warmth inside. 

“Just leave already, Shizu-chan. I’m in no mood to  _ play  _ right now.”

“Oh? So the flea says that? After me, saying the same thing over and over again for years, he says it? Thinks he’ll get the easy way out? Anyways, I need to get stitched up.”

_ Crap. I pissed him off even more. At this rate, he’ll never leave.  _


End file.
